Last weekend (14th & 15th July), i joined a trip arranged by Masjid Kariah Panchor Jaya committee. Let make things clear. I'm not a 'rombongan Cik Kiah' member and I will not travel in a group of makciks and pakciks. Two simple reasons I joined it willingly half-hearted are because : 1) accompany my mother (she's my finance supporter too in this trip), and 2) we are going to Singapore!
Yeay. Years passed since my last travel to Turkey back in 2010. And this is my 1st time heading to other country after back to Malaysia for good.
Day 1
So, the trip started with my mom and I being late to where the bus is parked. Not late after all, we were still in time, but all the members were coming earlier. Shyly, I took a seat beside a woman with a weird smile towards me (coz all seats were full or else I'll sit with my mom).
She's kinda...a talkative person. And we (we = she) had a non-stop conversation. She told me that I have a face of her elder daughter and that explains her earlier smile.
We're going to Johor first to visit one of the mosque there (remember, this is masjid trip!). A journey to Johor is undoubtedly the boring one. 4 hours in bus! And I thanked God for sending me someone who broke the silence.
Obeying the makcik-makcik's tradition, we stopped by Johor Premium Outlet (JPO). Yes, you're right! A shopping complex!
Listen to my advice carefully. JPO is a place for window shopping, NOT otherwise.
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| RM 13 ribu je? 50 ribu ada? (click picture to enlarge) |
Mum just buying me a bottle and packet of chocolates from Fidani, the only chocolate factory outlet there. Still pricey though.
Then, we were heading to our gratified homestay.
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| Homestay 3 bilik, 2 bilik air di JB. Ada aircond, seterika, ubat gigi, shower foam, tuala gebu etc... dan kalau bernasib baik korang akan jumpa makanan dan minuman 3 in 1 di dapur! Oh ya. Ini homestay jenis apartment - tingkat 17! |
At night, we went to Masjid Bandar Baru Uda. Well this is one of the well-organized mosque in Malaysia. It also has its own dialysis centre! Just heard a few. My ears and brain can't hold too much when my eyes are too heavy to open! Magically, I got back all my senses when it comes to dinper (dinner + supper = lol). Know why? *grin*
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| Sup kurma mamak + baguette (roti Perancis). Aku tambah lebih 5 kali! Diorang siap bagi beg cenderahati yang berisi...TAT KEJU! *drooling* |
Day 2
Alright! Singapore time!
Wait. We got a problem there. Two of our members had their passport due date less than 6 months! And one of them held a passport with two days left to due date! Crap! How could they be so careless...?
I smirked when I saw they mumbling du'a so they will get through easily at the Singapore immigration gate. Haha. Well, it worked! Never underestimate the power of du'a! Heh~
First, we went to Makam Habib Noh. He was one of the famous wali in Singapore. There's a rumour that one day, the government want to demolish this sacred place to widen the road, when they suddenly saw three white dragons roaring in the sky. So, they stopped the project. Believe it or not...
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| Kiri kanan atas bawah : Jemaah ni membuktikan Islam masih wujud dan berdiri teguh di Singapura! Stairways ke puncak makam. Dilarang buat benda khurafat. No colok! |
Then, we went to Arab Street coz some of us need to change their ringgit. Along the way, our Singaporean tourist guide, Mrs Aisyah storied everything must-know about Singapore.
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| Merlion, mercu tanda Singapura adalah gabungan perkataan Mermaid dan Lion. Perkataan 'mermaid' merujuk kepada sejarah Singapura pada zaman dahulu yang dikenali sebagai Temasek yang mana ianya merupakan perkampungan yang dikelilingi air. Singa pula berdasarkan mitos seorang putera iaitu Sang Nila Utama yang diriwayatkan telah ternampak singa di kawasan tersebut (sebenarnya harimau, tapi sebab taknak mengacau sejarah, maka...). Time kitorang pergi, BAPAK Merlion tengah renovation. Tinggal anak dia je. Sedih aku. Masa pergi Spain pun macam tu jugak kisahnya. Kenapa singa selalu SAKIT time aku nak lawat ??!! |
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| Scene dari Merlion Park. Dekat kiri tu Esplanade, tempat teater yang diilhamkan daripada bentuk dua buah mikrofon. Dikenali sebagai 'durian' dalam kalangan penduduk tempatan kerana bentuk berdurinya. |
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| Kiri : bangunan bunga teratai. ArtScience Museum. Time ni tengah adakan pameran Harry Potter! Arghhhh! Kanan : Marina Bay Sands. Merupakan sebuah hotel pada zahirnya dan sebuah kasino pada bawah tanahnya! Pemiliknya dari Las Vegas. Tak hairanlah... Puncaknya berbentuk kapal kerana kawasan ini berdekatan dengan pelabuhan. Satu lagi sebabnya kerana kapal merupakan simbol keberatan, yang mana ianya dipercayai dapat menekan duit-duit hasil keuntungan judi daripada mengalir keluar... |
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| Far far away : Singapore Flyer. The world's largest observation wheel, lebih tinggi dari London Eye. Duration hour : 37 minutes. Capacity : 30-40 people in a single capsule. Disebabkan tiket masuk yang mahal (SGD 30), maka ianya selalu dijadikan tempat istimewa untuk melamar kekasih, menyambut harijadi atau meraikan ulang tahun perkahwinan. Kalau nak jimat kos, pergi Eye on Malaysia. Kekeke~ |
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| Restoran Singapore Zam Zam di Arab Street yang feymes dengan murtabaknya. Saiz kecil - SGD 5, besar - SGD 7. Nyum nyum nyum. Sedapnya murtabak ... Malaysia. |
After a 'sight-seeing' tour from inside the bus, we reached Masjid Darul Aman. We're welcomed warmly by committees of the mosque. And were served a yummylicious lunch. Like before, we were also given a souvenir bag. And this time we got...
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| A MUG! Selamat menyambut Jubli Perak oh Masjid Darul Aman! |
Then, once again, shopping time! Oh, this time I enjoyed it coz we were brought to Serangoon Plaza aka Mustafa Centre aka Mydin Singapore (which means CHEAPER), located on Syed Alwi road. If you want to experience Hari Bangla Sedunia, go there on Sunday. I bet you'll forget that you're in Singapore, but Dhaka!
We spent more than two hours choosing and buying all cheap stuffs and souvenirs we could find. T-shirts, key chains, fridge magnets and chocolates are a must! (I don't understand why those makciks always buying handbags and heels when they could find them easily and exactly the same or better at Malaysia with reasonable price. I'll regret it if I'm not buying something that prove my conquer of the country!)
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| Souvenir kat Level 3. Ini antara design t-shirt yang aku rasa menarik berbanding others. Price : each SGD 8.90. Berhati-hati sebab ada yang berharga SGD 12.90 - sama design, sama jenis kain, sama tingkat, sama saiz. |
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| Chocolate Lot : Level 1. Barat laut : Plastik dan coklat dari JPO. Botol - RM 18.90. Paket oren - RM 7.90. 5 bungkus coklat Serangoon - SGD 19.80. Bagi aku, beli coklat di Serangoon lebih berbaloi daripada JPO, dan lebih banyak pilihan. Aku beli coklat yang tak ada atau susah nak jumpa kat Malaysia. Jangan lupa tengok tanda halal dan ingredients ok! |
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| Fridge magnet bentuk peta Singapore. Key chain bentuk Merlion. 6 in 1 key chains - beware! Yang ni pun tricky jugak. Awalnya aku ambik yang berharga SGD 12.50 yang SAMA design. Tapi lepas tu jumpa design BERLAINAN dengan harga SGD 6.50! Orang bijak tahu nak pilih mana. |
After all, this trip is not my best travel so far. But, it reached the main point of our mosque objections.
One word : I'll never join a rombongan again, with makciks especially.
BLING$ BLING$ BLING$
SGD 1 = RM 2.50
Pengangkutan dan penginapan (untuk panduan bakal peserta rombongan) : RM 140
T-shirt : SGD 8.90
Fridge magnet : SGD 2.20
Chocolates
(JPO)
Danson Hazelnuts : RM 7.90
Danson Milk & White Assortment (bottle) : RM 18.90 (recommended)
(Serangoon)
Alfredo Tiramisu Dark Chocolate : SGD 4.90 (recommended untuk penggemar dark chocolate)
Merlion Classic Chocolate : SGD 4.50
Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts : SGD 3.70 (recommended)
Swiss Fruit & Nuts : SGD 3.50
Munz : SGD 3.20
Key chains
Merlion : SGD 2.90
6 in 1 : SGD 6.50
:: wOrLd OdYsSeY ::
